A congressional probe into what happened before and after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast has been hampered by a variety of obstacles, most notably the difficulty lawmakers have had in getting the Bush White House to produce relevant documents. One lawmaker said the “lack of [White House] compliance is hindering the investigation.” It’s reached […]
There’s a widespread belief among congressional Republicans that their caucus’ legal and ethical scandals are of limited significance to voters. When they hold town hall forums, few ask about corruption, leading many to assume that this is a “inside the beltway” uproar that is yet to strike a chord with “real people.” If the GOP […]
It’s one thing for stores to wish shoppers a “happy holidays.” It’s another when the White House Christmas card doesn’t mention Christmas. But when politically-correct secularists successfully started closing down churches at Christmas, it was a clear sign that the war on the holiday had gone too far. Oh wait, that wasn’t the secularists; it […]
I noted last week that Congress’ interest in sports seemed to be moving in an unhealthy direction. The House Government Reform Committee won’t hold hearings on issues pertaining to government reform, but it will devote time and attention to steroids and baseball. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee won’t hold hearings on a White […]
Substantive details are a little hard to come by, but I feel compelled to offer a round-up of the latest Plame-related news before someone comes and takes away my “Liberal Bloggers ‘R Us” card. * The WaPo reported today, “The CIA leak investigation returned to a more active stage yesterday as a special prosecutor presented […]
The WaPo’s Dan Froomkin noted earlier this week that the highly respected Council on Foreign Relations agreed to host the president’s speech on Iraq yesterday, but the august organization had to break with its traditions in order to accommodate the White House’s demands — Bush would give his speech, but he would not respond to […]
A month ago Congress passed a series of harsh spending cuts, calling the measure a “deficit-reduction plan.” Critics in the reality-based community pointed out it was more or less insane to cut funds for low-income families who rely on programs like foot stamps, Medicaid, and child care assistance, only to turn around a month later […]
60 Minutes’ Mike Wallace chatted with the Boston Globe’s Suzanne Ryan this week, and their chat produced one of my favorite answers of all time. (via Jason Zengerle) Q. President George W. Bush has declined to be interviewed by you. What would you ask him if you had the chance? A. What in the world […]
To follow up on yesterday’s post about the New York Times movie blogger who shares my pseudonym, I thought I’d give readers an update. I contacted the NYT’s David Carr to share my concerns. I’ve since heard from him, and his editor, both of whom wrote gracious emails. I’ll spare you the details but it […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * New Jersey Gov.-elect Jon Corzine (D) will reportedly select Rep. Bob Menendez (D) as his replacement in the Senate. The choice seems to have been confirmed by nearly everyone, though a formal […]